A Plan B to Fight ISIS

The United States needs a Plan B for fighting the Islamic State, given volatility in Turkey and the mass arrests of Turkish military officers.

The need to diversify air operations beyond Incirlik Air Force Base in southeast Turkey became apparent after the coup attempt, when Turkey closed the base, cut off electricity and arrested its commander for allegedly participating in the putsch.

Plan B would involve diversified air combat operations using British bases in Cyprus: Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Bombing raids against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria could also be launched from the Erbil base in Iraqi Kurdistan, which is currently used for surveillance.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists that Turkey has sealed its border with Syria. International monitors should be deployed along the border to make sure that no fighters or weapons are getting through.

Monitoring should also include Turkey’s compliance with human rights and rule-of-law standards in the North Atlantic Charter, which are required of NATO members. Now more than ever, Turkey is an uncertain ally.

DAVID L. PHILLIPS

New York

The writer is director of the Program on Peace-Building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights.